Apparatus and method for producing plush knitted fabric



Dec. 27, 11966 M. a. NEBEL 3,293,886

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING PLUSH KNITTED FABRIC Filed Aug. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig: A2 if; j?

INVENTOR.

Dfifi 2?, I966 M NEBEL I 3,293,886

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING PLUSH KNITTED FABRIC Filed Aug. 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG5 United States Patent 3,293,886 APPARATUS AND METHOD FUR PRODUCING PLUSH KNITTED FABRIQ Max B. Nobel, Wieshaden, Germany, assignor to Hanes Corporation, a corporation of North Carolina Filed Aug. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 389,339 7 Claims. (Cl. 66108) The invention concerns a method and apparatus for producing plush knitted fabric on circular knitting machines.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a fabric, especially stocking fabric, comprising plush loops in which one thread for forming the basic structure is knitted into loops of usual size and the other thread is formed into plush loops of larger size, and the two threads together are formed into stitches in such a way that these two threads are superimposed as in plating.

The invention includes a sinker suitable for carrying out this method which has a hook, the top edge of which slopes or curves upwardly to a tip which is basically higher than usual. The top edge of the sinker hook from the tip end slopes or curves downwards from the tip in such a way as to enable the thread to slip downward readily until it reaches a loop sinking point behind the sinker hook.

These objects and other attendant advantages of this invention are more fully described hereinbelow and in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred form of a sinker suitable for use in knitting plush fabrics according to the present invention on a single cylinder circular knitting machine;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation of a prefered form of a sinker suitable for embodiment in a twin-cylinder circular knitting machine for knitting the improved fabric according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the needle and sinker circle and a portion of a sinker cam according to this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic elevation view seen from the center of the machine and indicating how the needles carry out their stitch forming motions;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view showing a needle in stitchdrawing position and the arrangement of the additional sinker cams in section;

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary elevations taken along the similarly numbered angled arrows in FIGS. 3 and 4 and indicate different stitch forming positions of a needle and sinker according to the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a partial view in elevation showing the casting-off position of a needle and sinker.

The preferred sinker shapes for advantageously realizing the method of this invention are shown in FIGURES l and 2. The sinker P as shown in FIGURE 1 for the production of plush loops has a hook or neb h the tip s of which lies higher than is usual. The top edge k of the hook proceeds obliquely or is curved downwards from the tip of the hook in such manner that it enables the thread readily to slip downward to the back of the hook. At the back of the hook it there is a short horizontal edge 0 (shown in solid lines) acting as a loop sinking point (i.e. thread drawing ledge) on which the thread, after having slipped downwards off the edge k, is kept and is pulled to a loop obliquely and downwardly in the direction of the needle N as shown subsequently in FIGURE 7. The loop sinking point c may be at the same level as the usual loop sinking point (i.e. thread drawing ledge) d before the hook h or, advantageously higher than this loop sinking point. The throat e below the hook h is widely opened at the tip end of the hook and narrows down to- 3,293,886 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 wards its end at the base of the hook so that the sinker: hook it has a finger-like profile.

FIGURE 1 shows a form of sinker for use in a single cylinder circular knitting machine. Sinker P1, in FIG- URE 2, concerns a sinker shape according to the invention for a twin-cylinder circular knitting machine and has an additional extension with a loop sinking point 01 behind its hook h. The sinker P (FIGURE 1) may have a cutaway portion behind the edge 0 for an extension g as in FIGURE 1.

To realize the method according to the invention, it is necessary that the thread, which is to be sunk behind the sinker hook, is caught on in the needle hook before being laid on to the edge k of the hook (see FIGURE 6 and, as is also shown in FIGURE 4, by the thread position of the thread b in relation to the descending needle N), so that this thread, While slipping downwards along the surface of the sinker hook (to the bottom of the hook) is pulled to loops by the needle N and reaches a position at which it can no longer be pushed away from the needle.

The needle motions for this knitting procedure are as usual and only the sinker motions are altered.

The sinkers P with hooks h are moved earlier than usual into the needle circle, so that the plush thread b is fed to the descending needle N in the rotating direction R of the machine by the yarn feeder F-2 (see FIG. 4) and by means of the yarn bridge B, arrives over (and eventually behind) the sinker hook it. An auxiliary cam T1, which acts on the sinker Px, is provided to cause this motion of the sinkers (FIGURES 3 and 5) so that the sinkers 1 and 2 for example, in FIGURES 3 and 4 are moved below the thread by cam T1 from point x-y as shown in FIGURE 3. Certain of the sinkers P, namely sinkers 3, 4 and 5 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, are kept in the advance position according to FIGURE 6 until the needles N1 and N2 have completed the formation of thread b into loops, i.e. stitches (FIGURE 4).

The fundamental feature of this cam construction regarding the aforesaid sinker motion is that the singers P, some of which may move more easily than others in their tracks, are kept automatically, and by means of the counter-cam T2, in the required position, FIGURES 6-8, in spite of the direction of pull of the yarn during the loop forming procedure. The sinkers 24 (FIGURE 3) remain in this operating position in relation to the needles and proceed through a track formed by portion x-y of the additional cam T1 and the portion v-w of the countercam T2. The sinker butts Px are thus guided, with very littleplay to prevent inward or outward movement of the sinkers, ensuring the formation of loops of equal and correct length. The sinker cams T1 and T2 advantageously form a unit, FIGURE 5, so that if the position of the sinker hook edge k in relation to the needle hook be altered, the size of loops, or the :loop length, can be changed, i.e., made larger or smaller as indicated by X in FIGURE 7, depending upon whether the sinker cams T1, T2, be adjusted towards or away from the needle lhOOkS.

FIGURE 7 indicates the additional thread length that can be obtained if the thread I) be formed on the top edge of the hook h instead of on the loop sinking point d.

FIGURE 5 shows, by way of example, how the countercam T2 is connected by a bridge Tx to the additional cam T1 and adjustably supported on the sinker cam ring G.

The edge of the counter-cam T2 extends obliquely at both ends up to the edge v-w. Thus, an oblique edge is available in both rotating directions of the machine.

If the new method of this invention is required only in a segment of the knitted tube circumference, e.g., for knitting the sole and the high heel of a stocking, it is then possible to provide only a portion of the sinkers accord- 3 ing to FIGURES l and 2, having longer hooks, with the remaining sinkers having short hooks or tips (not shown) of conventional construction.

The method according to this invention has for its primary object to form plush loops in the fabric and to superimpose these on the ground loops, i.e. to plate (cover) the loops of the ground thread by plush loops.

To produce plush fabrics with circular knitting machines, the procedure (in itself known) is such that two threads a, b, FIGURE 4 are fed at an angle to one another to the needles by the yarn feeders F2 and F1, at which angle the tip of sinker hook can enter between the threads so that one thread, viz., ground thread a, will be laid below the hook it on the loop sinking point at and the other thread, viz., the plush thread b, will be laid on another loop sinking point; the two threads being knitted to stitches by the needles N, the plush thread b however being formed into fundamentally longer sinker loops which are fully superimposed on the ordinary sinker loops, the plush loops appearing only on the inner side of the fabric.

In order to lay both threads a and b on the different loop sinking points of the sinker P, the sinkers, as previously stated, are moved by the additional sinker cam T1 earlier than usual into the needle circle so that the thread b will be brought behind the sinker hook, while because of the position of the yarn feeder F1 further from the loop sinking needle N1, the thread a will be brought to such a position as to come below the sinker hook it, FIGURE 4. The yarn feeders F1 and F2 serve for the production of plush loops in the rotating direction R of the needle cylinder. For the production of plush loops during reciprocatory knitting of the machine, a known form of yarn feeder F3, shown in broken lines in FIGURE 4, is used with two yarn exits, one above the other. The yarn exit F3x of this feeder is in such a position that the thread a1, and the thread b1, which is maintained at the required level by the yarn feeder bridge B, are kept at a sufiicient angle to enable the hook of the sinker P to enter between the threads in the other rotating direction of the needle cylinder as shown by the relative thread positions 111, bl in FIGURE 4.

For the production of plush loops by the invention, it is advantageous that the second loop sinking point for the plush thread b should lie higher than the loop sinking point d as is indicated by the loop sinking point 02 shown in FIGURE 8 and in dotted lines in FIGURE 1. The thread b then slips downward over the top edge of the hook and reaches the loop sinking point c2 earlier and is obliquely sunk to loops at the junction of the top edge k and the loop sinking point 02. This ensures a more effective oblique loop sinking position as compared with the position indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 8 and permits the plush thread b to be located in the needle hook in such a position that the plush thread b will arrive on the left (inner) side of the fabric and more effectively cover the ground thread.

This procedure is clearly shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. FIGURE 6 shows how the thread b, already in the hook of the needle, is laid on the curved edge k of the sinker hook by the needle N (see the dot-dash lines). It is immaterial for the purposes described herein whether the needle latch be closed (as shown) or open. The sinkers have been moved into the needle circle so far that their casting off throats are in the reach of the needle hooks but only to such an extent that the ground thread a still has sufiicient play between the throat and the needle to allow for some further draw during the sinking to loops. In this position of the needles N and the sinker P, the thread b (during the descent of the needle as shown in FIGURE 6) is drawn downwards on the top edge k of the sinker hook it and at the same time towards the free end of the needle hook, and therefore the thread b is not pulled by the highest point of the needle hook, but by a point of the needle hook lying towards it free end. The ground thread a advantageously is still under the bottom edge u of the sinker hook and thus prevented from wandering in the needle hook in the direction of the thread b beyond the point at which it will be engaged by the highest point of the needle hook into which position it is brought without additional sinker movement. According to FIGURE 7, the needle has reached a position in which both the threads a and b are in the needle hook and in which the thread b lying on the loop sinking point c2 has already the loop length for plush loops. During further descent of the needles from the position of FIGURE 7 to the position of FIGURE 8, the thread b is brought further towards the highest point of the needle hook and against the thread a on the side towards the free end of the needle hook, whereupon both threads a and b (see FIGURE 8) are formed into stitches. The sinkers P maintain their position in relation to the needles N during the operating position FIGURES 68, as can also be seen from FIGURE 3. This position of the sinkers P may be changed, if the length of the plush loops is required to be altered, i.e., the sinkers can be positioned with the loop sinking point 02 further towards or away from the needle hooks.

The part plan view of FIGURE 3, and the view of FIGURE 4 show the various operating positions corresponding to those shown in side elevation in FIGURES 59. After the needles and sinkers have completed the function of properly plating thread a by thread b and after the completion of the stitch formation (FIGURE 8) the sinkers P move into the casting-off position of FIGURE 9 in the usual way in coordination with the motions of the needles to cast off the stitches of the last formed course. The then following needle and sinker motions are as usual until the next stitch forming procedure.

When the sinkers P are withdrawn before the next stitch forming procedure, the sinker hooks h are also withdrawn out of the plush loops 1, so that the fabric on the needles is raised a little. During the subsequent descent of the needles, and before the sinkers P return with their hooks into the needle circle, the fabric is pulled downwards on the loop sinking point d of the sinker, so that the hook h, the tip of which lies higher than usual as before stated, cannot engage the plush loop.

If, for example, plush loops are. to be produced only in a portion of the fabric tube, e.g., in the sole and the high heel of the stocking, this may be achieved (with machines in which an additional reinforcing thread is fed and the reinforced portion is shaped by decreasing or increasing the number of stitches by taking the yarn feeder out of operation, or bringing it into operation, during one revolution of the machine) in such a way that all sinkers, or at least all the sinkers covering the widest portion of the sole, carry out the required motions for producing plush loops. The yarn feeder F1 is used as the feeder for the ground thread a and the yarn feeder F2 as the feeder for the reinforcing yarn and plush yarn b (FIGURE 4).

In other cases, e.g., in stockings knitted entirely of two threads, one of the threads may be the plush thread b in the sole and high heel and the other thread may be the ground thread a. If, in this case, the sole and high heel are knitted constantly in the same width, it is sufiicient to employ sinkers with two different butt heights, see FIGURE 1. If however the plush fabric must be knitted in an increasing and decreasing width (i.e., knitted to shape) then this is possible by selecting the sinkers as with the known mechanisms for shaping.

It is also within the scope of the invention to use this new knitting method advantageously for multifeed circular knitting machines for the production of knitted fabrics.

Although this invention has been disclosed with reference to specific forms and embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that a great number of variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this in en ion. For example, parts may be reversed, equivalent elements may be substituted for those specifically disclosed, and certain features of the invention may be used independently of other features, all without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of knitting plush fabric of at least two threads on a circular knitting machine having a set of needles and sinkers, which includes (a) feeding the threads to the needles at a thread feeding station,

(b) advancing the sinkers, as the threads are fed to the needles, to position the sinker hooks above one thread and below the other thread,

(c) drawing the thread below the sinker hooks in a substantially vertical direction by the needles, to form relatively short thread loops and (d) drawing the thread above the sinker hooks in an oblique direction by the needles, to form relatively long thread loops.

2. A method of knitting plush fabric of at least two threads on a circular knitting machine having a set of needles and a set of sinkers, each sinker having a first thread drawing ledge in front of its hook and a second thread drawing ledge behind its hook, each sinker having the top edge of its hook curving upwardly and forwardly from the second thread drawing ledge, said method including (a) feeding the threads to the needles at a thread feeding station,

(b) advancing the sinkers, as the threads are fed to the needles, to position the sinker hooks above one thread and below the other thread,

(0) drawing the thread below the sinker hooks in a substantially vertical direction by the needles, to form relatively short thread loops and (d) drawing the thread above the sinker hooks over the top edges of said hooks by the needles, to form relatively long thread loops,

(e) said long thread loops sliding down along the top edges of said sinker hooks, as said loops are drawn by the needles, on to said second thread drawing ledge, whereby said long thread loops extend obliquely from behind the sinker hooks to the needles as the needles descend to stitch formation level.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the step of advancing the sinkers, in relation to the needles, to space t e e d h e d a g ledge om t e eed e a di tance corresponding to a selected loop length for the long thread loops.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the thread above the sinker hooks enters the hooks of the descending needles before it is drawn over the top edges of the sinker hooks.

5. A sinker for a circular knitting machine having (a) a hook,

(b) a first thread drawing ledge in front of the hook,

(c) a second thread drawing ledge behind the hook,

(d) a top edge for the hook curving upwardly and forwardly from the second thread drawing ledge and (e) a throat spaced from the point where the top edge of the sinker hook joins the second thread sinking point a distance calculated to measure the length of the plush thread loops. 6. The sinker of claim 4 wherein the thread sinking ledge behind the sinker hook is higher than the thread sinking ledge in front of the sinker hook.

'7. A method of knitting plush fabric having at least two threads in each course on a circular knitting machine having a single set of cylinder needles and a set of sinkers, the steps comprising feeding a first thread to form the ground thread loops at a first location adjacent the needle circle,

feeding a second thread to form the plush thread loop at a second location adjacent the needle circle, said second location being angularly displaced in the direction of rotation of the needles, positioning the sinkers relative to the needles so that as the threads are taken by the needles the first thread passes to the inside of the sinker neb While the second thread passes over the sinker neb,

drawing the needles downward so that the first thread is drawn substantially vertically into ground loops on sinking ledges in front of the sinker nebs and the second thread is drawn obliquely into larger size plush loops around the base of the nebs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,080,377 5/1937 Nebel 66--108 2,529,181 11/1950 Page 66108 2,582,465 1/1952 St. Pierre 66108 3,080,740 3/1963 Nebel 66108 3,172,274 3/1965 Anthony et a1 66108 3,238,746 3/1966 Nebel 66-108 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. F. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A METHOD OF KNITTING PLUSH FABRIC OF AT LEAST TWO THREADS ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A SET OF NEEDLES AND SINKERS, WHICH INCLUDES (A) FEEDING THE THREADS TO THE NEEDLES AT A THREAD FEEDING STATION, (B) ADVANCING THE SINKERS, AS THE THREADS ARE FED TO THE NEEDLES, TO POSITION THE SINKER HOOKS ABOVE ONE THREAD AND BELOW THE OTHER THREAD, (C) DRAWING THE THREAD BELOW THE SINKER HOOKS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION BY THE NEEDLES, TO FORM RELATIVELY SHORT THREAD LOOPS AND (D) DRAWING THE THREAD ABOVE THE SINKERS HOOKS IN AN OBLIQUD DIRECTION BY THE NEEDLES, TO FORM RELATIVELY LONG THREAD LOOPS. 